Lisicki stuns tournament favourite Williams in fourth round at Wimbledon
By IVAN SPECK
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Manic Monday lived up to its name with the shock 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 defeat of Serena Williams to Sabine Lisicki.
It is not that her German conqueror is an unknown – her superb record on grass courts always gave her a fighter’s chance – but Serena does not usually waste such opportunities.
Wimbledon champion on five occasions, the world No 1 and the most powerful player in the women’s game, Williams led 3-1 in the final set.
Stunned: Serena Williams was turfed out in the fourth round by Sabine Lisicki
Pure delight: Lisicki got down on her knees after the game and fell to the floor in ecstasy
She had recovered from a disastrous run of four games which lost her the first set to rip the second from Lisicki’s grasp.
Now she stood a break up in the third. Under normal circumstances, victory would be a foregone conclusion.
Lisicki, though, refused to yield, trading bludgeoned forehands and rapier-like backhands. Back and forth they scampered across the Centre Court grass. Every point became an epic and when Lisicki’s final forehand skipped out of Serena’s reach, the 23rd seed had won.
A tearful Lisicki said: ‘I’m still shaking. I’m so happy. Serena is such a tough opponent. It’s an amazing feeling. I want to say thank you to everyone in the crowd for their support. I love this court so much. It’s such a special place.
Hard to beat: Williams was expected to win the tournament but was upset by Lisicki
Sloane Stephens
Serena Williams may be out, but America still have one hope left in the women's singles.
20-year-old Sloane Stephens overcame Monica Puig 4-6 7-5 6-1 and has been tipped for a big future by Williams.
'I think Sloane has a really good chance of winning,' Williams said. 'She has a great draw.'
There has been suggestion of some needle between the pair, but it was not apparent as Williams threw her support behind the Floridian.
'I think she can take it,' Williams said. 'It would be really nice to see her win.'
‘Serena played such unbelievable shots. I just hung in there. I gave it everything I had. I fought for every single point and tried to win it somehow.’
Lisicki’s triumph meant that she has now beaten the reigning French Open champion at Wimbledon for the fourth year in succession, following wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova (in 2010), Na Li (2011) and Maria Sharapova (2012).
By winning she set up a quarter-final clash with Laura Robson's conqueror, Kaia Kanepi.
'I am not thinking about that yet,' Lisicki told the BBC.
'I did enjoy it. She played unbelievable shots, but I fought for every point, hung in there, it's unbelievable.'
Asked if she would be celebrating the win, Lisicki added: 'No, not yet. The tournament is not over.'
Shake on it: The pair speak after the amazing encounter
Meanwhile Petra Kvitova is feeling the pressure of expectation as she continues her bid for a second Wimbledon title.
The 2011 champion has not had a strong season but has found herself in a similar position to Andy Murray as seeds tumbled from the bottom half of the draw.
Early exits for Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki left Kvitova as the standout name, and the eighth seed booked her place in the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 victory over Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro.
On song: Petra Kvitova is aiming to become Wimbledon champion
Next up for 23-year-old Kvitova is Belgian 20th seed Kirsten Flipkens, while 15th seed Marion Bartoli is the highest-ranked player she could meet in the semi-finals.
Kvitova said: 'Everybody is talking about me being the highest seeded player in my half; I'm supposed to be already in the final. That's something it's not really easy to hear.
'The girls who are in these rounds, they are playing their best. They are in good form, they are in good shape. That's quite tricky.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2352659/Wimbledon-2013-Sabine-Lisicki-beats-Serena-Williams.html#ixzz2Xp4YJzql
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